Things I learned from High Mowing Organic Seeds's 2023 Catalog
Grafting: in vegetables, only used for tomatoes. Instead of transplanting, graft onto established roots.
I remember hearing some drivel about how tomatoes aren't vegetables, they're a fruit. But, botanically, half of the vegetables are fruits. Beans, cucumbers, eggplant, melons, okra, peppers, pumpkins, squash, tomatoes, watermelon, zucchini. I don't hear anyone proclaiming "green beans are fruits!"
Most category-consistent omission: strawberry seeds. It’s a berry, not a vegetable! Even though they are often grown as annuals, maybe they are marketed under the category of fruit trees and perennial fruit bushes...
Spinosad and Bt are popular organic insect pest controls and are non toxic to humans and, if used correctly, mostly harmless to beneficial insects.
Most surprising omission: sweet potatoes seeds. Maybe because HM are mostly focused on northern crops? Also surprisingly limited selection of collard greens, okra and swiss chard. I noticed on the HM website that all of the conference/expos they attend are in Northern-tier states.
Least surprising omission: cannabis seeds. Cash crop anyone?
Most interesting omission: mushroom seeds. Inoculant is very popular in some areas, but with mixed success. Is the omission a sign of lack of interest?
Most organic omission: Imperator-type carrots. The main type sold commercially (even "baby carrots" are whittled from these), and HM has all of the other types: Nantes, Danvers, Chantenay… the catalog sometimes references mainstream conventional varieties of other vegetables (e.g. "Payday") but doesn't include them. Seems organic breeders have mostly focused outside the mainstream.
Interesting which vegetables don't have disease resistance traits. Do they not need it or has it not been selected yet?
Most confusing "seeds": potatoes. Apparently no one grows potatoes from seed.
Lowest-common denominator certification: Non-GMO Project. Is this the cheapest certification or just the best marketing logo? Either way this seems to be the go-to certification for everything. I have friends who say they won't buy GMO. But organic? Regenerative? Bee Better? Too expensive, what, what? I guess it does make sense for High Mowing since they sell corn and soy.
Pollinators
I was surprised there wasn't more mention of pollinator requirements. Which vegetables need pollinators? All of the fruits…
But peas and soy can self-pollinate. Corn should be planted in blocks so it can be wind-pollinated.
Gynoecious and monoecious cucumbers need to be planted with another variety for pollination. Parthenocarpic cucumbers don't need pollinators (= good for greenhouses).
Seedless watermelons : one variety needs pollination from a different variety.
The insect apocalypse is real. This summer I heard from people in different parts of the country who had to hand-pollinate their squash because they couldn't get any fruit otherwise. I visited a remnant prairie patch in Ohio in July that was in full flower, but completely silent and devoid of insect life. All blooming and no buzzing.
Hybrid vs OP vs Heirloom
Seed saving controversy: Advocates like Bill McDorman make hybrid seeds seem almost immoral. He claims seed-saving as an inalienable right of indigenous and small-holder farmers everywhere. But its hard. His very interesting book* gives detailed specifications for how far apart you have to plant different varieties to avoid cross-pollinating, in-breeding depression, or outbreeding depression. I wonder how many farmers save seed?
Descriptions in HM imply that hybrids are better than OP. Also interesting how many varieties are protected (from seed-saving) by UP or PVP.
References
Bill McDoman. Basic Seed Saving: Easy step by step instructions for 18 popular vegetables.
Attachments
Excerpt from a conventional seed catalog.
No comments:
Post a Comment